Re: [IUG] Research Pro Resources list

[Steve Sowder <sowder at andrews dot edu>]

Ah, the conundrum of ResearchPro database pricing.  The first one to 
request pays for a database and everyone else after that gets it for free.

On our first request list of databases there were four not available and 
we requested a price. A month later, and still no prices from III, three 
of the four were then available for free.  We are still waiting on the 
last one, hoping someone else will go first (and pay) so that we can get 
it without paying.


Steve
sowder at andrews dot edu

Hal Penick wrote:
> We are at the stage of selecting resources we would like to offer our patrons through Research Pro. We would like to add the ability to search Wikipedia and were suprised to see that it is not one of the 2600+ offerings on the resource list. We were told we could have it profiled for a one-time cost of $3000. After it is profiled it would then be put on the "list" for others to possibly select. The RP Resource List form at csdirect has a method for libraries to request an unlisted resource. It clearly specifies that such requests are "typically available for an additional fee". I would maintain that Wikipedia is a resource of broad and significant enough interest that no one library should have to bare the entire cost of profiling. I would think that in the interest of maintaining the marketability of Research Pro that such sites would be proactively added to the list simply to keep the product current.
>
> Incidentally, we were also disappointed to see that we would have to pay profiling fees to offer All Music Guide; Books and Authors; Internet Movie Database; Biography Resource Center; Encyclopedia of Associations; ChiltonLibrary; Encyclopedia Britannica (paid version); Ebscohost: Health Source: Consumer Edition; Ebscohost: Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition; Ebscohost: Children's Edition; Ward's Business Directory; and Newspaper Archives.
>
> Although they are heavily used outside our service area we can understand paying for resources of regional interest such as, Iowa Heritage Digital Collection, and our Local Newspaper Index.
>
> Hal
>
>